The Columbia School Board will have a special study session Tuesday, Feb. 5 to listen to ideas construction managers have for building improvements to keep students safe, warm and dry.File Photo

BROOKLYN, MI – Five construction managers will present their ideas for repairs and improvements to Columbia School District buildings during a special meeting of the district’s school board.

The meeting, a study session that is open to the public, is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, in the Columbia Central High School library, 11775 Hewitt Road.

No board vote is expected to take place, Superintendent Pam Campbell said. The meeting, she said, is a time for board members to learn about options for making Columbia’s schools warm, safe and dry and provide infrastructure so the buildings are technologically appropriate for students.

The board could vote at its regular monthly meeting Feb. 11 to pick one construction manager, with the idea of going to voters sometime in the future for a bond proposal to fund improvements, Campbell said.

“The general fund is for educating our students, not for fixing roofs or heating systems,” Campbell said. “Our goal is to look at what we can do without raising taxes. This will provide us with an evaluation of our facilities so we can decide where to go from there.”

A bond passed in 2002 that provided for the building of the Columbia Fitness Center and improvements to the high school auditorium expires this year. Voters since then have turned down multiple requests, including a $5 million bond voted down in May 2011.

Campbell and board Vice President Garry Applegate have met with several construction managers to come up with the five that now will present their findings to the whole board.

High on the list of needs, Campbell said, are roofs and a new heating system to replace one that is at least 40 years old.

“We have done a lot of roof work in the past year, but patching will only hold a short time,” Campbell said. “We really need to upgrade our facilities and take care of the buildings the community has given to us for our school district.”

Members of a community steering committee and the fitness center’s board of directors also have been involved in a district facilities needs assessment for about a year, Campbell said.

“This is a thoughtful process,” Campbell said. “We want to make a fiscally sound decision that will make our buildings warm, safe and dry and allow for better technology use.”